Massive sinkholes unlikely to affect Naples residents anytime soon

Sinkholes frequently form in Florida. Here's why this phenomena is so common.
Sam Ogozalek/Naples Daily News

In this aerial photo, debris is strewn about after a sinkhole damaged two homes in Land O' Lakes, Fla. on Friday, July 14, 2017. The sinkhole, which started out the size of a small swimming pool and continued to grow, swallowed a home in Florida and severely damaged another.(Photo: Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

A Land O’Lakes neighborhood is recovering from the shock of having two homes swallowed last week by a massive sinkhole.

Naples residents, though, shouldn’t be expecting a similar local disaster anytime soon.

According to data compiled by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, most sinkholes form in the central portion of the state. The Tampa Bay area and Orlando, in particular, have a high number of reported sinkhole formations, for example.

David Brown, vice president of Foundation Professionals of Florida in Lake City, said that typically sinkholes form as slightly acidic rain runs through limestone underground. Over time, the water eats away at the limestone, causing the rock to eventually fail.

“The limestone is different in Florida than your Northern states,” said Jeff Earl, owner of Sinkholes LLC — a sinkhole repair company that has been called in to remediate the Land O’Lakes sinkhole.

Earl said the limestone in Florida is weaker and less solid than the limestone north of Kentucky. That’s because Florida limestone is more porous, particularly filled with vertebrae and shells from long-dead sea creatures.

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Debris is strewn about from a partially collapsed home in Land O' Lakes, Fla. on Friday. A sinkhole that started out the size of a small swimming pool and continued to grow has swallowed a home in Florida and severely damaged another.
Alessandra Da Pra, AP

Debris is strewn about from a partially collapsed home in Land O' Lakes, Fla., on Friday, July 14, 2017. A sinkhole that started out the size of a small swimming pool swallowed a home in Florida and severely damaged another.(Photo: Alessandra da Pra/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Brown — whose company specializes in sinkhole repairs — advises people to immediately call their insurance company if a sinkhole begins to form.